Bill Summary
This legislation, known as the "Child Welfare Data Modernization Act," aims to provide temporary funding for states and tribal organizations to enhance their child welfare data reporting systems. This funding would cover 75% of eligible expenditures for the planning, design, development, and installation of digital data collection and information retrieval systems. The systems must meet certain requirements and be able to interface with other data collection systems for child abuse and neglect and eligibility for assistance programs. The funding will be available from January 13, 2017, to September 30, 2020. The purpose of this legislation is to promote more efficient and effective administration of state and tribal child welfare programs.
Possible Impacts
1. People who work in child welfare agencies may see an increase in funding for updating their data collection and information retrieval systems, allowing them to more efficiently and effectively serve children and families in need.
2. State and tribal governments may be required to meet certain regulations and criteria in order to receive the temporarily enhanced federal match for child welfare data reporting expenditures, potentially resulting in changes to their current systems and processes.
3. Researchers and policymakers may have easier access to high-quality case management data, allowing them to analyze and distribute information to inform decision-making and improve the child welfare system as a whole.
[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3438 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
116th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 3438
To provide for a temporarily enhanced Federal match for certain State
or tribal child welfare data reporting expenditures.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
June 24, 2019
Ms. Bass introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Ways and Means
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To provide for a temporarily enhanced Federal match for certain State
or tribal child welfare data reporting expenditures.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Child Welfare Data Modernization
Act''.
SEC. 2. TEMPORARILY ENHANCED FEDERAL MATCH FOR CERTAIN STATE OR TRIBAL
EXPENDITURES FOR CHILD WELFARE DATA REPORTING.
(a) In General.--The percentages which shall be in effect under
section 474(a)(3)(C) of the Social Security Act with respect to
eligible child welfare data reporting expenditures of a State, Indian
tribe, tribal organization, or tribal consortium in the applicable
period shall--
(1) be 75 percent; and
(2) apply with respect to the expenditures, without regard
to whether the systems for which the expenditures are made may
be used with respect to foster or adoptive children other than
those on behalf of whom foster care maintenance payments or
adoption assistance payments are made under a State or tribal
plan approved under this part.
(b) Treatment of Digital System as Mechanized System.--The digital
system described in subsection (c)(2) of this section shall be
considered a mechanized system for purposes of subparagraphs (C) and
(D) of section 474(a)(3) of the Social Security Act.
(c) Meaning of Terms.--
(1) In general.--Except as otherwise provided in this
subsection, the terms used in this section shall have the
meanings the terms would have if this section were in part E of
title IV of the Social Security Act.
(2) Eligible child welfare data reporting expenditures.--In
subsection (a) of this section, the term ``eligible child
welfare data reporting expenditures'' means expenditures as are
for the planning, design, development, update, or installation
of statewide or tribal digital data collection and information
retrieval systems (including for hardware components for the
systems), but only to the extent that the systems--
(A) meet the requirements imposed by the
regulations prescribed under section 479(b)(2) of the
Social Security Act, as in effect on January 13, 2017;
(B) use cost-effective, innovative technologies to
automate the collection of high-quality case management
data, and promote the analysis, distribution, and use
the data by workers, supervisors, administrators,
researchers, and policymakers--
(i) in accordance with the Comprehensive
Child Welfare Information System Final Rule (81
FR 35449); or
(ii) by means of a statewide automated
child welfare information system that meets the
requirements of the regulations prescribed
under such section 479(b)(2);
(C) include the information required to be
collected and reported by section 471(e)(4)(E), and the
data described in clauses (i) and (ii) of
479A(a)(7)(A), of such Act;
(D) to the extent practicable, are capable of
interfacing with the State or tribal data collection
system that collects information relating to child
abuse and neglect;
(E) to the extent practicable, have the capability
of interfacing with, and retrieving information from,
the State or tribal data collection system that
collects information relating to the eligibility of
individuals for assistance under a program funded under
part A, for purposes of facilitating verification of
income for purposes of eligibility for benefits under a
State plan approved under this part; and
(F) are determined by the Secretary to be likely to
provide more efficient, economical, and effective
administration of a State or tribal program carried out
under a plan developed under part B or approved under
this part.
(3) Applicable period.--In subsection (a), the term
``applicable period'' means the period that begins with January
13, 2017, and ends with September 30, 2020.
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